pasta e ceci
I have made this so many times already, it’s super quick, easy and the broth is delicious!! This is Pasta e Ceci, an Italian dish of pasta and chickpeas in a flavourful broth. I’ve made a few tweaks to the traditional recipe to suit my own preferences and what I usually have on hand, like using dried herbs and nutritional yeast instead of parm. I cannot think of a more perfect weeknight meal that’s both quick and comforting. Not to mention it’s very budget friendly and made in one pot!
----
Juss notes: WOW this one's so good. Big cozy winter soup energy!
ingredients
1.5 tbsps olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small shallot, minced OR half a small white onion, minced
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
Pinch red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
Black pepper to taste
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 540ml (19oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4.5 cups veggie stock (i.e. 4.5 cups hot water mixed with 1 tbsp Vegeta veggie stock powder. Try 0.8 tbsp or less next time! It comes out super rich tasting)
100g small cut pasta (e.g. lumachine, ditalini, elbow macaroni, farfalline, stelline, and many others will work. We used shell pasta!)
steps
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant and translucent. Add the dried rosemary, tarragon, red pepper flakes, black pepper and nutritional yeast and fry for another minute or so.
Stir in the tomato paste and let it caramelize for about 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas and veggie stock, stir and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta and stir, cooking till al dente according to package directions.
Taste for seasoning, adjust accordingly, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Note: If you do plan on storing this in the fridge for later, I recommend cooking and storing the pasta separately, as it will swell and soften if left in the soup for too long.
